Halo: ENSIGN
Halo: ENSIGN 'is a first person shooter developed by 343 Industries and published by Microsoft. The game follows the story of ENSIGN Team from Operation: TORPEDO in 2545 to the early stages of the war with the Covenant Remnant in early 2553. Like previous Halo games, players are all clones of whatever character the mission is designed for, instead of playing as separate characters. The game also has a much more developed multiplayer, with new customization options that impact gameplay, Forge 5.5 (a slightly improved version of the Forge system from Halo 5), new gamemodes, and the inclusion of low gravity maps. Short Description The following is the short text found on the back of the disc copy. ''"There is more to the Human-Covenant War than the famous battles of Reach, Earth, and the Halo Installations. Play as ENSIGN Team, one of the last Spartan-III teams in service, as you engage Covenant foes in the lesser known battles of the Human-Covenant War. Be scarred by the bloodbath known as Operation: TORPEDO, assassinate important Covenant leaders as you explore Forerunner structures, participate in the Battle of Earth from another perspective, and witness the beginning of the Covenant Remnant as not one, but five different Spartans during the war. Good luck, Spartans." Synopsis Victor-B254, Kyle-B115, and Daniel-B132, survivors of Operation: TORPEDO, are assigned alongside each other as ENSIGN Team. Their first assignment is to eliminate a San'Shyuum investigating Forerunner ruins on the planet of Mirage, a planned future colony. During the assault however, the San'Shyuum escapes, and the mission objective is changed. ENSIGN Team is now assigned to eliminate one of the highest-ranking Sangheili, who also happens to be present at the ruins. After assaulting the ruins and eliminating the Sangheili officer, the team finds an odd, disk-shaped forerunner device which appears to be deactivated in his possession. The team evacuates and returns to base, and Daniel hands over the "frisbee" to PLACEHOLDER. Time passes, and Kyle is reassigned to a solo mission on the planet of Falaknuma. Victor and Daniel are then sent to the Epsilon Eridani system, and tasked with boarding a Covenant Destroyer in combat with the UNSC Ypres. They need to eliminate the crew, and collect any important data on board. After completing the mission and blowing up the destroyer, ENSIGN returns to Earth to strengthen defenses now that Reach was lost. The Gammas, Will-G222 and Luke-G249, are added to the ENSIGN roster. Victor, concerned about the Gammas' lack of combat experience, plans to test the Gammas in a makeshift simulation on board the Ypres. Luke, wondering what the test would be, sneaks through the ship with the help of Will, and attempts to access secured files to figure out what is going on. Luke and Will's almost successful breach of security was enough to show Victor that they are worth something to the team. Shortly after, the Covenant break through UNSC lines, and invade New Mombasa and the surrounding area. Concerned with losing the power and water facilities that supply the invaded region, ENSIGN Team was sent in to reinforce the ODSTs and Marines defending Zanzibar. After regrouping with the ODST squad, Epsilon-Seven, they push through Covenant lines to the Zanzibar Power Generation Facility, the largest power plant in Africa. They hold their ground there, and are reinforced by an old friend. Victor and Kyle, who is leading the reinforcements, work on detonating charges on the three gates around the facility, effectively halting any land engagements. After Daniel, Will, and Luke hold the line and the charges are detonated, the ODST squad and Marines set up portable anti-air defenses, and were able to keep the facility online for the rest of the war. After the war, ENSIGN Team is finally able to relax. However, within a few months, the team is assigned to investigate an increase in possibly hostile activity on Mirage. The team, minus Kyle, are transported to the planet, and Luke infiltrates a recently established Keep, one of many being created as Covenant Remnant bases. Luke steals data from one of the terminals, and reports back to the team, who was watching the whole infiltration from a nearby cliff. The team reviews the data, and determine that the Keep has to be destroyed to prevent the events planned by the Remnant. They assault the base and make it to the center structure, which they plan to destroy using plasma canisters littered around the base. Luke sets up the canisters while the others defend him from the reinforcements being deployed by Phantoms. During the engagement however, a stray beam rifle shot hits one of the canisters, causing a chain reaction that destroys the structure, and engulfs Luke in the explosion. With the structure only damaged and the loss of Luke, the team is forced to call for emergency evacuation. They manage to hold out long enough for the dropships to arrive, and the team escapes. The game ends with a short cutscene showing a group of ODSTs escorting a container to a underground facility. A change in the camera angle shows that the "frisbee" is inside the container. The legendary ending shows the "frisbee" activating before the screen cuts to black, followed by the credits. Levels The game is composed of 18 missions, four of which are only cutscenes. Depending on which member you play in the mission alters certain mechanics of the mission. Types of Levels As mentioned above, Halo: ENSIGN's gameplay is altered depending on which character the player is playing in the level. Victor Missions The most common of the levels are the missions in which the player plays as Victor-B254. During these missions, the player has access to a basic ordering system by using the D-Pad. At any time, the player can press one of the directions to select which member of the team to give orders to: Left to select Daniel, Up to select Kyle/Will, Right to select Luke, and Down to select the whole team. Once one of the directions is pressed, the player is given a new set of options. Pressing Left puts the member is defensive mode, Up puts the member on offense, Right makes the member hold their fire, and Down cancels the orders. Victor utilizes MJOLNIR armor (see "MJOLNIR or SPI"). Offensive If a member is in offensive mode, they will approach enemies that they see until they are within range, and then open fire. This mode is most used when the player needs to clear an area quickly. Defensive If a member is in defensive mode, they will remain where they are and open fire as alerted enemies approach. This mode is most used when the player needs to defend an area. Hold Fire If a member is holding their fire, they will not shoot until they are shot at, and will return to their last mode if they are attacked. This mode is most used when the player wishes to clear an area without being detected. Kyle/Will Missions During missions in which the player is playing as Kyle-B115 or Will-G222, the player is tasked with giving support. Missions play out with the player in their own area, with the rest of the team is in their own area, visible but inaccessible by the player. The player is tasked with simultaneously supporting the team while also navigating and clearing their own area. Kyle uses SPI armor, and Will uses MJOLNIR armor. Daniel Missions During missions in which the player is playing as Daniel-B132, the player is tasked with holding an area while waves of enemies approach. These missions play similarly to Firefight from past Halo games. Daniel uses MJOLNIR armor. Luke Missions During missions in which the player is playing as Luke-G249, the player is tasked with infiltrating an area and completing an objective without being detected. If the player is detected by enemies and they aren't dealt with immediately, the player fails the mission and reverts to the last checkpoint. Luke uses SPI armor. Multiplayer Maps *Aqua - "Spartan training simulations tend to all have something in common. Water." (Forge Canvas) **Asgard - "There is something special about this canyon." (Pseudo-Symmetrical, Large) **Whirlpool - "Wait, don't Spartans drown?" (Pseudo-Symmetrical, Small, Semi-Low Gravity) *Bleed Out - "This boxed canyon has been used by multiple military branches as a training site. Simple and a classic." (Pseudo-Symmetrical, Large) *Blizzard - "White, white, and more white." (Forge Canvas) **Hard Light - "This cave is not a natural formation." (Pseudo-Symmetrical, Large) **Recoil - "Tall structures like these are dangerous training locations for marines. Good thing your Spartans." (Pseudo-Symmetrical, Medium) *Current - "Zanzibar's largest power facility has been utilized by Spartan programs as a training ground in the past, however this walled off area has been untouched since the Battle of Zanzibar." (Pseudo-Symmetrical, Large) **Voltage - "Zap." (Asymmetrical, Large) *Debris - "Spartans fight for control of a half destroyed Covenant Cruiser. Reason? Don't ask." (Asymmetrical, Large, Low Gravity) *Exo - "A low gravity environment on the exterior of an Orbital Defense Platform seems like an unusual place to fight at." (Symmetrical, Small, Low Gravity) **Breathless - "Zombies... In Space!" (Pseudo-Symmetrical, Small, Low Gravity, Infection Only) *Midnight - "A training ground this close to a Covenant camp is too dangerous to use during the daytime, forcing Spartans to fight under the cover of darkness." (Pseudo-Symmetrical, Medium) **Full Moon - "Check every corner." (Asymmetrical, Small, Infection Only) *Orbit - "Space. It's really, really, really big." (Forge Canvas) **Broadside - "This decommissioned destroyer has participated in multiple battles during the Human-Covenant War." (Symmetrical, Small) **Haze - "They lurk in the fog..." (Asymmetrical, Small, Infection Only) **Holo-Court - "A Grifball Stadium, in space!" (Symmetrical, Small, Grifball Only) *Projection - "This tower, just like it's multiple sister towers on Earth and Reach, has become nothing more but a testing facility for Spartans and ODSTs." (Pseudo-Symmetrical, Small) *Refit - "The UNSC Ypres has been generous enough to allow Spartans to battle in her corridors during the rearming process." (Asymmetrical, Small, Semi-Low Gravity) *Sandstorm - "Don't get sand in your boots." (Forge Canvas) **Catacombs - "These sand covered forerunner structures have been testing grounds for Spartan-IIs, and now the next company of IIIs." (Asymmetrical, Large) Small maps are designed for gametypes such as SWAT or FFA. Medium maps are designed for gametypes such as Slayer and CTF, and include light vehicles. Large maps are designed for one thing in mind, BTB. Gametypes On top of the classic gametypes such as Slayer and CTF, some old fan favorites make a return in Halo: ENSIGN: *Dominion *Extraction *Headhunter *Invasion (Changed slightly, to allow Dominion turrets, cover, and weapon pads to activate at the start of each phase. Also, players are not forced to play MJOLNIR or SPI when on offense or defense (different than Reach's Elites vs Spartans Invasion style).) *Juggernaut *King Of The Hill *Race *Ricochet *Stockpile *VIP New gametypes also appear in Halo: ENSIGN. Some of these include: *Plague - A round-based gametype that plays similar to Team Slayer, however two players play as a third team of Alpha Zombies. If players die to other humans, they respawn normally, however if they die to a zombie they become infected. The human team with the most survivors at the end of the round wins. In case of a tie, the team with more human kills wins. If all of the humans are infected, the zombies win. **One-Life Plague - A gametype that is similar to the standard Plague, however any death turns the player into a zombie. Customization MJOLNIR or SPI Similar to being able to play as Spartans or elites in other Halo games, Halo: ENSIGN allows players to choose whether to wear MJOLNIR or SPI armor. This choice is not just cosmetic; the choice impacts gameplay. MJOLNIR *Pressing the Special Ability button (Default: B) allows the player to make a short dash in any direction, including vertically. This is incredibly useful when avoiding fire or getting to higher or farther locations. This function has a short cooldown. *Players have a stronger shield, allowing the player to remain in a fight for longer periods of time. *Players have a slightly larger hitbox. *Players are affected by gravity slightly more. For a list of MJOLNIR armor sets, click here. SPI *Pressing the Special Ability button allows the player to activate their photo-reactive panels and effectively go invisible, similar to active camouflage. This function lasts for a long time, but takes time to recharge and being shot immediately terminates the cloak. *Players generally have a slightly smaller hitbox. *Players are affected by gravity less, allowing players to jump slightly further and higher. *Players have a weaker shield (stamina) that regenerates much slower. Players should avoid being shot rather than trying to survive it. For a list of SPI armor sets, click here. Forge 5.5 '''Forge 5.5 brings new features to the Forge system on top of the features already existing in Forge 5.0. *Decals can be colored. *Water and other liquids can now be spawned in the form of volumes, and blend together in a similar fashion to terrain. *Gravity across the whole map can be modified. *Objects spawn and move in a less buggy fashion. *Monitors can no longer die, and instead only teleport back into the map if they attempt to escape. *Weather has been improved. Weather FX will not spawn in regions under objects, including special invisible weather barriers. Because the weather generates during the light baking phase, any objects that move after the game loads will not affect weather. *Scripting has been enhanced, allowing timers to begin upon any condition rather than just an initial time, and logic gates are available. *FX that appear and disappear (explosions, lightning, spark bursts) can be scripted to change the amount of time between each appearance. *Weapons can now spawn with varying amounts of ammo in the initial clip, allowing weapons to spawn with no ammo. *Vehicles and other damageable objects can now spawn with different health values, allowing for vehicle remains to spawn on the map. *Groups and welded objects can now be scripted. *Vehicle and weapon welding is completely supported, as well as custom weapons (Maps with either of these two features are not supported in matchmaking however). *Vehicles regain the ability to be colored. *More than the standard amount of objectives are supported, allowing for more than 3 Strongholds, Multiple flags for the same team, etc (Maps with this feature are not supported in matchmaking however). Updates Similar to Halo 5 Guardians, Halo: ENSIGN received multiple free updates: #Protectors of Earth - Themed around the Spartan-II program and defending in general. Added the gametypes Invasion, Dominion, VIP, and King Of The Hill. Added the ability for gametypes to support more than the normal amount of objectives. Added all Dominion objects to Forge, as well as the map Exo. #Scars of War - Themed around the aftermath of the Human-Covenant War. Added many destruction oriented props, the ability to force vehicles and other objects to spawn damaged or destroyed, new fire and smoke FX, sirens and other sound FX, blood stain decals, and dead Marine, ODST, and Spartan props to Forge. Added the map Debris, and the gametype Headhunter. #Souped Up - Themed around customization. Added support of vehicle and weapon welding, vehicle coloring, personal loadouts in custom games (with game rule to toggle this feature), many new armors, and the Race gametype. Achievements Gallery File:Kylesniping.png File:Kylecutscene.png Trivia *Halo: ENSIGN's campaign was designed with the large time skips in mind from the start. The game's plot was written to both simultaneously feel like multiple short stories that only loosely connect and one large continuous story that shows the complete story of ENSIGN team from start to finish. *The basis behind Victor missions was to add more tactical gameplay to Halo without turning the game into a tactical shooter. Daniel missions were designed to feel similar to Firefight from Halo 3: ODST. Kyle and Will missions were designed to almost force players to play a more supportive role, to vary players more in multiplayer. Luke missions were inspired by the Metal Gear Solid franchise, and merging it with traditional Halo gameplay. Their focus on stealth rather than killing helps players adapt to the SPI gameplay in multiplayer. *The multiplayer map Asgard is a remake of Valhalla from Halo 3, Whirlpool draws some inspiration from Fathom from Halo 5: Guardians, Bleed Out is a reimagining of Blood Gulch from Halo: CE, Hard Light draws inspiration from Gephyrophobia from Halo: CE and Narrows from Halo 3, Current and Voltage are reimaginings of Zanzibar from Halo 2, Exo draws inspiration from the campaign mission Cairo Station from Halo 2, Projection is a remake of Ivory Tower from Halo 2 and Reflection from Halo Reach, and Catacombs is a remake of Sandtrap from Halo 3 (minus the Elephants). *The gametype Plague draws some inspiration from a minigame in Halo 4, which had similar rules. *The name of the update, Protectors of Earth, is a reference to Halsey's quote, "You will be the protectors of Earth and all her colonies."